Mayor Eric Adams’s City of Yes (COY) Zoning for Economic Opportunity (ZEO) was on the agenda for review by the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Commission during their meeting on January 24 that was streamed on their YouTube page (the COY hearing begins at 2:56:00).
In general, COY ZEO would remove outdated restrictions on where businesses can set up shop to make it easier for businesses to find space or expand. For example, it would: Remove deadlines to fill vacant storefronts, simplify rules on which types of businesses are allowed in commercial areas, allow small-scale clean production like “maker spaces” to locate in more areas of the city, update rules on loading docks so building uses can adapt over time, allow more types of businesses to locate on ground floors and on upper floors (in some cases), simplify how zoning rules classify businesses.
For instance, 200 Kent Avenue, a 132,000-square-foot commercial building anchored by Trader Joe’s, is scheduled to go up for auction on February 21, 2024 at 3:30pm. COY ZEO would add several selling points to the property, such as the second floor parking lot could be used as a 22,000-square-foot community space. The third floor could also become a high-end restaurant or nightlife spot, according to Greg Corbin, president of Northgate Real Estate.
However, there is some pushback from the residential community as those on this side see this initiative enabling businesses and commercial development replacing housing in residentially zoned neighborhoods. In addition, they see elements of commercial use may negatively impact quality of life and safety factors for residents.
In encouraging businesses to testify at the DCP meeting, Evergreen, a membership organization that champions manufacturing, creative production, and industrial service businesses in North Brooklyn and beyond, shared some of their testimony.
They said, “The COY ZEO effort is much-needed, as our zoning code hasn’t been comprehensively updated in decades and often creates obstacles that stand in the way of business and job growth.” Zoning is pretty much what it was in the early 1960s. “We believe that many of [the proposals] would have a positive effect on making things easier and more conducive for economic growth. We are also quite pleased that there is no plan to add residential uses to the Industrial Business Zones (IBZs), which are the heart of our manufacturing communities throughout the city.” They did offer some changes to parts of the plan that could have negative impacts on manufacturing zones.
Mayor Adams announced the COY plan in a June 1, 2022 press release. He said, “These proposals focused on economic recovery, affordable housing, and sustainability will remove red tape for small businesses, expand housing opportunities in every neighborhood, and accelerate the transition to our energy future. New Yorkers are not going to wait around while other cities and other countries sprint towards a post-pandemic world, and now we won’t have to.”
COY is a three-pronged plan. Zoning for economic opportunity is one prong. Housing Opportunity and Carbon Neutrality are the other two.
The Greenline 